1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multimedia data processing apparatus and method, and more particularly to apparatus and method for registering and retrieving data such as document, image and audio data.
2. Related Background Art
Databases for registering and retrieving various types of data have been known. In the prior art database, both characters and numerals are handled, the scale of the system is large, and the structuring (setting up) and management of the database are limited to a specific person.
In a modern database, not only characters and numerals but also multimedia data such as images and audio are added, and in addition to the conventional large-scale database handling characters and numerals, small-scale and personal databases such as an image library are gradually coming into use. The structuring and management of such a database, which are handled by some one specific person in the conventional database, should be under the control of the user of the database.
As multimedia data has been becoming readily available on the computer, application software called catalog software in which the multimedia data is managed like a library and a required file is picked from a list has become available. Catalog software simplifies the operation of input and registration of attribute information as key words for the data and also simplifies the retrieval function.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the catalog software. FIG. 1 shows a still image catalog, in which a list of images registered in the database is displayed as shown at the left side of the drawing. As a user may designate any image from the displayed images together with a registration instruction, a registration scene as shown on the right side of the drawing appears.
The registration scene is provided with items of attribute information and input fields, and the registration is made by entering a value in the input field. In the illustrated example, fields representing photographed locations are displayed. The user may enter a location name by means of a keyboard.
As the attribute information in the catalog software, an item representing a fuzzy image such as a comfortable image or bright sound may be set and registered. In the example of FIG. 1, attribute information called a degree of refreshness representing a degree of refreshness the image gives is provided as the item representing the fuzzy image. The user may enter a numeric value to this field. In structuring such a database, the work which is largest in volume and which is most disliked by the user is the registration of the attribute information.
The attribute information is usually inputted by the user through the keyboard. The input operation must be conducted when the database is structured as well as each time the data is updated.
The data inputted from the keyboard must be accurate and this causes the increase of the work of the user and mental burden of the user.
In retrieving the data, the retrieval is instructed by inputting the characters and numerals to the registered value. The retrieval work is also burden of the user who utilizes the database.
By those reasons, while the database has become popular among the users, it is disliked by the users who use the personal computers mainly for word processing work.
In the catalog software, the attribute information is entered from the keyboard by entering characters and numerals as they are in the conventional database and the accurate input is required. In retrieving the data, the registered value must be reentered.
Further, when the fuzzy item is set as the attribute information, the decision as to which numeral is to be entered or which numeral is to be used for retrieval is the burden to the user.